San Francisco’s Push For Zero Waste

San Francisco has a lofty goal — completely eliminating waste from the city by 2020.

Much of San Francisco’s initiative includes encouraging consumers to buy less so that they’ll produce less waste. The city has banned single-use plastic bags and encourages consumers to bring their own reusable mugs to coffee shops, dining in rather than using takeout containers, and bringing their own food storage containers to bring leftovers home.

In addition, more than half of waste in landfills could be recycled or composted, according to the San Francisco Department of the Environment. San Francisco has instituted green compost bins, and the food scraps are used to create natural fertilizers for local farms.

Waste management may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about climate change. But according to the EPA, between 1% and 5% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from traditional waste management services.